Anywhere With You
by DrizztDo'UrdenNeverDies
Summary: Bart is seventeen and Rod is fifteen, just learning how to drive. Bart has been teaching Rod for awhile now, and it's finally time for him to take the car out for a spin! They have quite an interesting time... Rated K plus for romance-y things.


Bart looked to the right, then the left. Homer was at Moe's. Mom was at home, doing her mom things. Lisa was on another date with that dreaded Nelson. God knows why she picked him back up. But that was unimportant right now. Bart was about to do something important, something he waited to do all week. Something that only occored what felt like once in a blue moon, never enough, but was actually every weekend day afternoon. He ran across the street and stepped in between two buildings, hoping no one saw him. It would end terribly for him and the other boy if anyone found out just what he was doing. Both their reputations would be gone, just like that. A small face peaked up at him through the darkness. He nodded to it in some kind of unspoken contract.

"Hey Rod," Bart spoke, letting his breath settle.

"Hello Bart! How are you today?"

Bart thought for a minute. He didn't want to trouble the boy. There was a reason for his presence. He smiled. "I'm doing alright, how are you?"

"I'm wonderful!"

"Did you pray today, Rod?" He asked this question everyday they saw each other, and though it wasn't because of any curiosity on his part, he felt it cordial enough for the circumstances.

"Yes, I asked God for forgiveness, but I don't know if he heard me..." Bart inched closer to Rod as he spoke, his hand raising itself temptingly close to the other boy's shoulder.

"I'm sure he did," Bart said, trying to be gentle. He decided not to put his hand on Rod's shoulder. It would seem forced.

"Aw, I'm sure you're right. Thanks," Rod said shyly, looking up at Bart again. "Where do you want to go today?"

Bart shrugged. "Anywhere, as long as I'm with you." He almost cringed as he realized what he had said out loud, but decided to play it cool. He wanted to look as such in front of Rod more than almost anyone else, admittedly. He looked over at Rod and saw how his eyes were shining with a kind of light he had never seen before. He smiled.

"Bart! You're making me blush," Rod said, hugging the other boy tightly. Bart hugged him back, smiling softly.

"That's what I'm here for."

"I thought my dad wanted you to teach me how to drive!" Rod squealed, laughing.

"That too," Bart said, almost laughing too.

Bart jumped into the passenger's seat. Rod was going to drive for the first time today, and they had no destination. It almost couldn't be more perfect. They could drive for hours - Bart had made sure they had a full tank yesterday evening - and just spend time with each other. They weren't really dating yet, neither of them had really said anything, but they were doing enough sneaking around in ally ways to make people think they were. Enough of the hugging and being nice to each other, too. Bart was secretly terrified of upsetting this balance, because after all, Rod had been raised by Ned Flanders, and he wasn't sure if Rod even remotely understood what Bart might be feeling. But Bart wasn't entirely sure himself what it was that was brewing in his heart, and he wasn't about to act on it. Rod climbed into the driver's seat and clapped excitedly.

"Yay! I can't believe I finally get to drive on a road!" Bart nodded his head and smiled. Rod smiled at him for a sweet moment and started up the car nimbly. He had been watching Bart do it on weekend afternoons for a month now. He put his hands at ten and two, just like Bart had said he should start off. He shifted into drive, and finally pulled out of the parking space Bart had picked for them. Rod glanced at Bart once more, then drove down the street slowly but safely. Bart smiled at Rod as he drove, feeling his cheeks warm up when Rod looked at him. It was a split second kind of look, but Bart knew at once that something had changed. He felt this great lifting, then pulling in his heart.

"Bart?" Rod asked suddenly, jerking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he asked back.

"What do you think about Mr. Smithers?"

"I dunno... he seems nice to me." Bart replied, halfway wondering if this was getting at what he thought.

"Do I seem nice to you?" Rod asked, not taking his eyes from the road. They were on the highway by now.

Bart felt the temptation to say everything he thought, exactly how he thought it, to the Flanders kid. Then he worried that would be too much. So, instead he said: "Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't hang around you so much."

"I thought you were getting paid."

"Me? Paid? By Homer?" He snorted. That was more comedic than Itchy & Scratchy killing each other.

"That's it!" Rod shouted, then pulled over on to the shoulder of the road.

"What is it, Rod?" Bart asked, but Rod just looked at him with a slight smile and his perfect, kid-like, glittering eyes. Before Bart could finish blinking, Rod's lips were on his and he was stunned. A warmth filled him up, so strong he didn't hesitate about kissing Rod back. It was short, and Rod pulled away five seconds later, but it was sort of perfect and Bart couldn't take his eyes off of the boy next to him.

"Was that... okay?" Rod trembled.

"Are you kidding?! That was more than okay... that was... that was perfect." Bart's voice was a decrescendo, and Rod grinned at him, bigger than Bart had ever seen him do before. "Where do you wanna go now?"

"Anywhere... anywhere, as long as I'm with you," Rod said, quoting Bart. Bart blushed. He always used to be afraid of tearing their friendship, but now it seem so solid that Bart knew he could trust the boy that sat next to him, the one that was back out on the highway, driving as far away from Springfield as they could get in a day.


End file.
